Ryan and Kelsi: The Arguments
by anothersmallperson
Summary: The Composer and the Choreographer didn't always see eye to eye. Ryan and Kelsi's story told through a series of oneshots, based around their arguments and conflicts through the years.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello HSM/Rylsie fans. I'm still working on my current fic 'So this is New York' but I've had these oneshots going round my head for a while. I hope you enjoy. Please review and let me know what you think!**

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"Evans!"

Ryan looked up in alarm, startled by the booming sound that had issued from such a tiny person. He was sat cross-legged on the stage floor and for once the small composer towered over him, her silhouette blocking the stage lights and throwing darkness over the script that lay on his lap. He blinked at her in confusion for a few seconds. He had barely spoken two words to Kelsi Nielson in his life and he was sure the longest sentence he'd ever heard from her lips was, "From the top."She usually sat behind the piano, half in the wings. Invisible. At lunch she sat with Ryan and his sister at their 'drama club' table in the cafeteria but even then she mostly sat hunched over her notebook, her face hidden by whatever hat she had donned that day.

As Kelsi's eyes glared at him accusingly he considered how little he even knew her face. He could probably list her hat collection but he couldn't recall having ever really looked her in the eyes. Had she always had glasses? Had her eyes always been that blue? Or that intense…

"Anybody home?" she barked, causing Ryan to snap out of his daydream.

"What?" he snapped, looking up at her with a mixture of irritation and confusion. What gave her the right to storm in and shout at him and call him 'Evans'?  
With an annoyed huff, the small girl in front of him threw a handful of paper onto his lap. Ryan shot her an affronted look before snatching up one of the pages to take a closer look at whatever had the mouse's tail in a twist. His expression soon turned abashed as he saw the scores of music.

"Oh." he said nervously.

"Oh." Kelsi agreed through gritted teeth, still staring at him angrily.

"I can explain…" Ryan began.

"You had no right." Kelsi cut over him, her voice soft and shaking. Ryan saw the vulnerability in her eyes expose itself and he nodded anxiously.

Of course she was right. He should have known better. He wrote music himself after all. Ryan considered the idea of someone finding the notebook with all his songs. All the senseless scribblings that had been thrown down on paper on a whim in the middle of a sleepless night. All the ridiculous ramblings that had served as an outlet of emotion more than anything else. It was a therapeutic, peaceful and terribly private activity. Ryan would be the first to admit that he lived to be in the spotlight, but as far as he was concerned, his songs were the exception and for his eyes only. Yes he understood what she was feeling. However, he knew all this before he'd handed the song over to Ms Darbus and he would do it again in a heartbeat.

"The songs are too good." Ryan said firmly, holding Kelsi's gaze. "You shouldn't keep them hidden…"

"It is MY decision what happens to MY songs." Kelsi hissed, her voice rising marginally. Ryan saw the anger begin to seep back into her features and he got up from the floor slowly and tentatively, as if confronted by a wild animal.

"Ok… Yes. But would it hurt to take the compliment?" Ryan suggested, trying to keep his tone light. "I mean, I only gave it to her because I thought it was exceptional."

Kelsi was silent. She simply stared at him, narrowing her eyes in a scrutinizing manner, as if trying to figure out his angle. It was unnerving and made Ryan feel somewhat exposed. As if her glasses were x-raying him. Ryan eventually opted to break the silence. He had to make her see that he hadn't meant any ill-will.

"You're a great writer. It's… Well it's beautiful." he murmured, sincerely hoping that she would at least drop the glare that was making him more nervous by the minute. The the strangest thing happened. She blushed. It was small at first, just a slight rosiness of the cheeks. Then it spread until her whole face was shining. Ryan couldn't help but let out a short, abrupt laugh of disbelief. Kelsi gave him a confused look.

"What is it?" she asked nervously. She even checked behind her which just made Ryan laugh again.

"That's some blush Kelsi!" Ryan exclaimed, while trying to stifle a snigger. Kelsi looked puzzled but touched her cheek. Evidently feeling the temperature, her eyes widened in surprise before she recoiled in embarrassment. The whole thing was so ridiculously adorable that Ryan had to let himself laugh full out. This only served to antagonize Kelsi further and the next thing he knew she was storming out of the auditorium, her brown curls bouncing down her back.

"Oh c'mon Kelsi, you're over-reacting!" Ryan called after her playfully.  
As she reached the end of the aisle, she turned to face him with a blazing look.

"Maybe this would be over-reacting if you were say… a friend, just trying to help. But you're not _Evans_ you're really not." Kelsi retorted fiercely, her eyes flashing. "You and your sister treat me like some sort of servant and you just expect me to be ok with you taking something personal to me and exposing it without my permission? In fact, I'm supposed to consider it a favour?!" Kelsi exclaimed incredulously. She shook her head, a look of disdain crossing her features.

"A favour from the great Ryan Evans. Lucky me." she said bitterly before throwing the door to the auditorium open, marching through it and slamming it behind her.

The next day in homeroom, Ms Darbus announced that Kelsi had agreed to piece her compositions together into a musical for the drama club to perform as their winter musical. Ryan looked across the room to catch her eye but she stared stubbornly ahead. To Ryan's delight however, her cheeks tinged pink.


	2. The one about the new arrangement

**Just a wee short one this time! But I also updated 'So This Is New York' so it all sort of balances out :P **

**Hope you enjoy! **

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"AGAIN!"

Ryan flinched as his sister slammed her hand down on top of the piano, her eyes flashing at the pianist playing the instrument. To his surprise, Kelsi just looked up at Sharpay and nodded politely.

"Of course Sharpay." she chirped, playing 'Bop to the Top from the beginning again. Ryan watched nervously as his sister's eyes narrowed suspiciously at the small girl before her. This was definitely bad news and he had an overwhelming urge to subtly warn Kelsi of what looked to be an oncoming storm. Sharpay wasn't used to her intimidation being met with a wall of cheeriness.

"STOP. It's terrible. It's BEYOND terrible! From the top. Actually, forget it. Our rehearsal pianist will do another arrangement. After all, the last one was FABULOUS." Sharpay snarled, glaring at Kelsi on the last word for emphasis.

"No problem Sharpay." Kelsi said passively, holding Sharpay's gaze persistently. Sharpay gave her one last scowl before strutting off out the music room.

"Ryan remember to bring my books." she snapped before slamming the door behind her.

"What are you so happy about?" Ryan asked her incredulously. She calmly looked up at him and Ryan was taken aback by her expression. It was strong. Defiant. Perhaps even a little vindictive.

"Ryan, I'm going to gloss over the fact that you and your delightful sister mutilated my song. The very song you had the nerve to call beautiful last year. Because now it doesn't matter." Kelsi said softly as her lips pulled into a mocking smile.

Ryan was lost for words. He had been dreading Kelsi bringing up 'What I've Been Looking For' but he hadn't expected this reaction. In truth he'd been half hoping for a rage like the one she had displayed last year when he had sent the song to Ms Darbus. If there was a prize for most adorable temper tantrum… But this side of Kelsi was unnerving. Slightly frightening even.

"Uh… What?" Ryan managed to reply, his throat dry. He swallowed hard as Kelsi let out a little chuckle.

"I played for them. I didn't honestly think they'd be any good, but they were kind to me and I just wanted SOMEONE to beat you. Both of you." Kelsi said, darkly. "I knew Ms Darbus was still in the auditorium so I got them to sing. Oh and they're good Ryan. Maybe they haven't had expensive song and dance lessons since they were toddlers but they've got chemistry and they sang my song like they meant it."

Kelsi got up from the piano stool and walked over to Ryan until she was centimetres away from touching him.

"And you know what?" she said, staring intensely at his face. "I really hope they beat you."

Ryan, for the second time in his Junior Year, watched Kelsi turn her back on him and leave the auditorium. It didn't feel like the last time though, where her talent, modesty and sheer cuteness had left him staring after her in awe. This time he felt only shame.

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**Thank you for reading and please review! I love to hear your thoughts :) **


	3. The one about Jason

**Hi guys! Thanks again for following this story and an extra special THANK YOU to the folks that have reviewed thus far :) This chapter is set during 'Twinkle Towne' rehearsals. I'll hopefully have an update for 'So this is New York City' soon. I promise I'm working on it! Hope you enjoy and please tell me your thoughts!**

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"Do you have to rehearse?"

Kelsi grinned at her boyfriend's sad pout and went up on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek

"Well I don't… But if I'm not here to play then the rest of the cast can't." she replied playfully. Jason arched his eyebrow at her thoughtfully.

"So you're saying that if I steal you away now, then Troy can't rehearse, which means there would be no show and he would be able to spend more time at basketball practice, making us more likely to win games?" Jason said, giving her a cheeky smile. Kelsi smirked, deciding to play along.

"Well that's one theory…"

"Then it's decided!"

In a flash Jason had her over his shoulder in a fireman's lift and was running down the aisle of the auditorium, Kelsi giggling all the way.

"Jason! Put Miss Neilson down this instant!"

At Ms Darbus' command Jason screeched to a halt and plonked Kelsi back on her feet. They both looked up at the teacher sheepishly as she marched over to them, giving them a stern look through her spectacles.

"Kelsi we begin in five minutes. Mr Cross, if you enjoy painting sets then by all means stay." she said dryly before stalking off again.

"Guess I better make like a banana and split." Jason sighed, taking her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. "We still on for studying tonight?"

"Sure. I need to take a look at Pythagoras." Kelsi grimaced in reply.

"Aaaaw babe, you know I don't understand any of your musicy stuff." Jason replied before swooping down to kiss her cheek. "See ya!"

He gave her a bright smile and strolled out the auditorium, leaving Kelsi stunned in the middle of the aisle.

"Wow… He's a keeper." said a voice from behind her. Kelsi knew the voice well enough to know who it belonged to. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and plastered fake smile on her face before turning to face him.

"Yeah. He is. He doesn't go behind my back. He doesn't ruin songs. I'm a lucky gal." she quipped, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Ryan raised an eyebrow at her knowingly.

"You know i don't understand any of your musicy stuff." Ryan said mockingly, in an annoyingly accurate impression of Jason's voice.

Kelsi took another breath to calm herself down and determinedly walked past Ryan, making her way towards the stage. She smiled as she saw Gabriella and Troy already seated on the stage, hands clasped and with their legs dangling over the edge. The picture of sweetness. Maybe she would insist on working with them today…

"Ok everyone!" Ms Darbus announced, clapping her hands together enthusiastically. "Today I will be working with Troy and Gabriella on their scene at the beginning of Act 2…"

"No!" Kelsi blurted out suddenly. Ms Darbus and the cast all gave her identically puzzled looks. She frantically searched for the words to explain herself but nothing came.

"Sorry. I need to… There's definitely… We need to work on… Well there's something… I need to work on their duet!" Kelsi eventually concluded, looking at her teacher desperately.

"Certainly not!" Ms Darbus exclaimed. "You'll be working on Ryan's solo today Kelsi."

Kelsi stared at her teacher in horror. Did she hate her? Or worse, did some higher power hate her? Had she committed a horrible crime in a past life?!

"But…"

"Not another word! To the piano Miss Neilson." Ms Darbus said firmly, turning away with a swish of her shawl.

Resisting the urge to stamp her foot, Kelsi stomped off to the piano. Of course Ryan was already leaning casually against the instrument, giving her an infuriatingly cheery smile. She ignored him and sat on the stool, aggressively flicking through the score on the stand.

"Hey it could be worse." Ryan offered.

"Oh really?" Kelsi asked, still refusing to meet his gaze as she rifled through the pages.

"Definitely. You could be working with my sister." Ryan muttered. Without thinking Kelsi giggled in amusement. A second later she froze in horror. She had not just laughed at something Ryan had said... had she? She tried to keep looking at the score but she could just see Ryan's expression out of the corner of her eye. He looked smug.

"Let's do the song." Kelsi said quietly, beginning to play. For once, Ryan simply obliged.

As Ryan began to sing in his soft tenor voice, Kelsi found herself relaxing. The tension eased from her shoulders and she even indulged in a little sigh. If Kelsi had her way, she would have Ryan always sing and never talk. She would never admit to Ryan for fear that it would feed his ego and make him even more unbearable, but he had a beautiful voice. It wasn't abrasive and dramatic like his sister's but soulful and full of perfect sincerity. When he sang, she could forget how much he drove her crazy. Even his face changed. The smarminess that Kelsi had grown to despise seemed to melt away an was replaced with open, honest tranquility.

Thankfully she only needed to work with Ryan for a short while, but they barely spoke throughout the rest of the rehearsal. This was normal as they weren't exactly the best of friends, but the silence was different. There was a horrible tension lingering in the air and Kelsi was looking forward to nothing more than escaping it, even if it was to go home and tutor Jason, which could be quite trying… Jason was everything she could think to ask for in a boyfriend. He was funny, sweet and caring… Not to mention he was friends with Gabriella and Taylor's boyfriends. In spite of it all, Ryan's comment earlier had stung her a little. Jason wasn't a music person. Not really. In fact, they didn't have a lot in common full stop but the music thing bothered Kelsi the most. Music was an integral part of her. It was her world. Jason didn't seem to understand that and if Kelsi was honest with herself it was clear that he never would.

To Kelsi's relief rehearsal finally ended and she wasted no time in scurrying off the stage to collect her bag from the orchestra pit.

"Hey… Kelsi."

Kelsi screwed up her eyes in frustration. What now?! Why did he always have to just appear and invade her space.

"Yes Evans." she sighed turning to face him. She saw his eyebrows knit together at the use of his second name and for a second she felt a little guilty.

"Sorry. What do you need Ryan?" she asked flatly, doing her best to act civil.

"I could really do with going over that song again. Are you free tonight?" he asked, perfectly polite. Kelsi was surprised by his calm, passive manner and tried to be as gracious as she could in return.

"Sorry I'm not. I'm studying with Jason." she replied, grabbing her things and making towards the exit of the pit. It had come out a little blunt, but frankly Kelsi just wanted to get home.

"Oh yeah… Jason."

Kelsi tried to ignore it. She really did. Her hand was on the door handle and everything. In the end it was impossible. It always was. She turned to look at him, and she took a good hard look. Her eyes passed over the designer clothes that his loaded parents bought him, while Kelsi had to make do with her cousin's hand me downs. She took in the immature blue eyes, the arrogant sneer on his lips and the way he crossed his arms defensively across his chest. He looked like a child that knows it's done something wrong, but is too stubborn to back down.

"How dare you judge him." Kelsi hissed quietly, aware that the cast were still above them onstage.

"There's nothing wrong with him." Ryan protested quickly in a hushed voice. "I mean apart from this fact he thinks Pythagoras is a music term. But… I mean c'mon Kelsi he doesn't like music. I'm sorry but it just doesn't make sense."

He held her gaze stubbornly and Kelsi tried to ignore the familiar stab of annoyance.

"This is absolutely none of your business." she said carefully, trying to keep herself level-headed.

"Kelsi I watch you play all the time. It's the most important thing in the world to you." Ryan rambled in a low voice, his eyes boring intensely into hers "He's not right for you…"

That was it. She couldn't handle Ryan Evans, of all people, telling her who she should or should not be involved with! And why? To get a rise out of her? To make her uncomfortable? To mess with her head?!

"Look, your sister's a piece of work but at least I know she acts that way because she's selfish and expects to get what she wants." Kelsi ranted. It was as if something in her had snapped. It was strange. She wasn't generally an angry person but she seemed to have a permanent rage inside her that was preserved especially for Ryan Evans.

"Oh I see." Ryan replied, his voice suddenly cold. "So why do I act the way I do?"

He looked at her indifferently, as if he didn't even care. Kelsi looked at him a long time, trying to come to a decision.

"I honestly have no idea Evans."

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**Thanks for reading :)**


	4. The one about 'You are the music in me'

**Hello everyone! Big 'Ta very much!' to EpicClimax0 and Arya Evans for reviewing! It's always awesome to receive feedback. And while I'm at it, thank you to anyone who is reading. Feel free to chat to me at any time, I'm all yours!**

**Arya Evans: 1. I really hope your name is some sort of HSM/Game of Thrones mash up. I'm a GoT addict! 2. I don't think Kelsi and Jason's relationship is ever addressed in the HSM movies. In my stories 'So I've Fallen In Love' and 'So This Is New York City' I make it quite clear that they were only ever friends but (and I probably should have mentioned this before), these oneshots are unrelated to those storied. Hope that makes sense! :)**

**This is a big juicy long one (no filthy innuendos here!) for you guys to get your teeth into (I should stop...) so I hope you enjoy! **

**Now let's go see what's going on at Lava Springs...**

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Kelsi sat on top of the picnic table, knees hugged to her chest, focusing shrewdly on the scene before her. A crowd had formed on the fringe of the baseball diamond and were cheering gleefully, the reason being that Ryan Evans and Chad Danforth had just emerged from the changing rooms having swapped clothes. Chad had then proceeded to dramatically part the crowd by making a ring of people around him, before lying down on the ground and flipping back onto his feet in one swift motion. Everyone applauded but none louder than Ryan who let out a loud whistle of approval and even got down on the ground to try out the move himself. This escalated into most of the baseball players, as well as Gabriella and Martha, congregating in the space together to try out some more dance moves. The boys that had, not two hours ago, mocked Ryan for dancing were now listening raptly to Ryan's instructions and trying to pick up the moves he gave them. Even Jason, who knew how much Kelsi disliked the male Evans twin and dutifully tried not to acknowledge him most of the time, was partaking in the dancing. Ryan's enthusiasm seemed to be contagious.

"Hey Kelsi, you ok?"

Kelsi looked round as Taylor plonked down beside her and nodded, attempting top give Taylor a warm smile. Taylor looked unconvinced and shuffled nearer to her, lowering her voice.

"I hope you don't mind that we invited Ryan. I know you guys don't get along that well…"

Kelsi watched as Ryan did a short swing step with Martha before lifting her high into the air so she could kick her legs out. Everyone gasped, clearly impressed, then gave Ryan another cheer. As he placed Martha delicately back on the ground Kelsi saw them laugh together. Martha said something to him and although Kelsi couldn't hear the exchange it was clear that it was a compliment. Ryan shrugged nonchalantly but Kelsi could see that his face was beaming. He looked happier than she had ever seen him.

"It's ok." Kelsi said resignedly to Taylor. "You did the right thing."

"But?" Taylor asked, looking at Kelsi with concern.

"I'm fine." she assured her friend, giving her a smile in reply. "I guess I'm just not won over yet."

"Ok. Fair enough I guess." Taylor sighed, getting up from the table. "You've got to admit though, he's different without Sharpay around. Give him a chance."

Kelsi forced a smile and nodded but she could tell by the way Taylor rolled her eyes that she didn't buy it.

"Just think about it Kels." she said kindly. "And get a brownie! They're Gabriella's mom's speciality." she added enthusiastically, before skipping off to see Chad.

Kelsi relented and got up from her seat, deciding to take Taylor's advice by re-joining the group and getting a brownie. Ryan's arrival had put her in a bit of a strop, causing her to be quite anti-social throughout the game. She just didn't know what to think anymore. It had been an eventful day after all…

_Earlier that day…_

_Kelsi jogged up the stairs towards the Lava springs rehearsal room, trying to pick up her spirits with every step. She was due to rehearse for Ryan and Sharpay in an hour but she had decided to get to the room early. This was mostly so she could have some quality time with the impressive piano before her shift started but it also helped raise her morale. A Rehearsal with Ryan sand Sharpay wasn't exactly on her list of favourite things to do but being able to get lost in her own music for a short while usually gave her the pick up she needed. Kelsi tried to focus on positive thoughts. The sun was shining, she was grasping an iced-tea and her new composition would still sitting on the piano stand from the night before. She was just about to enter the rehearsal room when she heard a sound that made her stop suddenly in her tracks. _  
_Someone was already playing. They were playing softly but the piece could be heard easily from outside. It wasn't just any piece, it was HER piece. However, it wasn't the same. It had been altered. Not drastically, just an alternative chord here, a different counter melody there. _

_Kelsi lingered for a minute longer and found to her surprise (and slight annoyance) that it sounded, dare she say it… better. She had been pleasantly satisfied with the piece before, but now it seemed to work so much better. As she listened a bit longer she found that, while her original version had stayed as a ballad throughout, this one turned more upbeat. She would have never thought to make the song end that way but it worked surprisingly well, giving the song a hopeful tone that hadn't existed before. _

_Deciding that she simply had to know who was meddling with her song, she pushed the door had expected the music to stop abruptly as no one likes to be barged in on when they're practising. What she didn't expect to see was Ryan Evans siting comfortably behind the piano. By the frozen look of shock on his face, he hadn't expected to see her. He had gotten there earlier to play, just as she had. Kelsi found herself just as unable to speak or move. How did she even react to this? _

_From where Ryan was sitting, this was the worst moment of his life. Kelsi wasn't supposed to be here for another hour! He knew it wasn't acceptable to casually pick up her composition and start working on it himself, but it had just been lying there, tempting him! He figured she would never find out and it wasn't as if he was causing any harm. He hadn't counted on the composer, who already hated him with a passion, catching him in the act. He sat there in a dumb silence, tragically aware that there was no excuse he could give that would help him escape this humiliation. It wasn't just the fact that what he was doing was intrusive and inappropriate, but that she had heard him play and even compose. His song writing and piano playing probably seemed like the work of a child in comparison to what she was used to playing! Desperate to escape the situation, Ryan grappled for something to say._

_"It's not what it looks like!" he blurted out, before wincing at the lie. "Ok… Yeah it's exactly what it looks like. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I wasn't stealing it, I just wanted to play it, and then I had some ideas. Obviously they're not very… Well I'm not a composer in ANY sense of the word and I didn't want co CHANGE it because I get that you of all people would be sensitive about that. Which is thanks to me I guess so the fact that ME of all people is…"_

_"Ssssh!" Kelsi said firmly, putting her palm up to signal a stop to Ryan's tirade. Ryan fell silent, gaging her reaction curiously as she walked slowly round to his side of the piano and peered at the music, her eyebrows knitting together in a small frown of concentration. She didn't look angry, so that was a good sign. Then again, she didn't look happy either. Ryan couldn't quite place it and that made him very nervous… He watched her scrutinising his notes with bated breath, trying desperately to read what was going on in her head. _

_"You added a verse." she said simply, cocking her head as her eyes scanned through the music. "Do you mind?" she added, indicating that she wanted to sit down. _

_"Oh! No… of course." Ryan stammered, quickly making room for her on the piano bench. _

_She sat herself down and adjusted her glasses before gently placing her fingers on the keys. As she began to play the four bar interlude that he had created to lead into the verse he had written, Ryan was sure his heart stopped for a second. He had been relatively pleased with what he had written, but his piano playing was o.k at best. With Kelsi playing it, it sounded ten times more beautiful. Although a lot of the composition was Ryan's, she seemed to naturally know how to express the song and Ryan could only listen in awe as his uncertain scribblings suddenly came to life. _

_"They say that you should follow… " Kelsi sang softly. Ryan's jaw dropped open. Kelsi was singing? He was staring at her in a way that was so unsubtle and, frankly, a bit rude but she didn't seem to even see him. It took a few seconds to realise that she had stopped and was looking at him expectantly._

_"Oh sorry." Ryan said hastily before singing with her. "And chase down what you dream."_

_As they tentatively sang through the song, Ryan gave Kelsi a sly sideways glance as she sang her part. Her voice wasn't particularly showy, but there was a beautiful simplicity to her tone that effortlessly held his attention. _

_"Everyday, of our lives…" _

_As they sang the chorus together, Kelsi looked up from the piano and finally met his gaze, smiling shyly as their voices blended in perfect harmony. _

_"And how does this bit go?" Kelsi asked politely, as they reached the final section of the song. Ryan quickly went through the arrangement he had come up with for the ending. It had Kelsi's original chord progression but it was more sparse and upbeat. Ryan had envisioned the rest of the band dropping out except for piano and drums. The singers would ad-lib and the dancers would improvise, using their best tricks… _

_"There's a lot of gaps." Kelsi said, chewing her lip as she watched him play. _

_"Uuuh yeah. But.. just listen." Ryan said hastily, jumping up from the piano and rushing over to the drum kit in the corner. He was very conscious that Kelsi seemed so calm about the whole situation and he was half expecting her to snap out of her good mood any second so it seemed like a good move to try and impress her to stay on her good side. Ryan sat himself down and locked eyes with Kelsi again. She was sitting at the piano, her lips parted in… amusement?_

_"You wrote drums too?" she asked, a sly smile playing on her lips. _

_"Kinda…" Ryan admitted, too excited to feel embarrassed. "Would you play the end section?"_

_Kelsi nodded and began to play and as Ryan started to add in the drum part he saw her face light up._

_"Everyday…. Oh Everyday…" she sang softly. Ryan nodded enthusiastically. _

_"Yeah exactly! So everyone would ad-lib and just do their own thing!"_

_They played the section on a loop, adding their own vocal ad-libs before launching back into the chorus again. Then to finish, they slowed down the arrangement with Kelsi playing a flourish on the piano and Ryan rolling the cymbals gently. As she looked up from the keys, Ryan nearly laughed at her expression! She looked happy, but seemed to surprised by it. Her eyes were scanning his face as if trying to find an answer to an unspoken question. Ryan couldn't help but grin from ear to ear back at her. He had performed ever since he could remember, with Sharpay and other members of the drama club. However, he couldn't ever remember creating with someone like this! He didn't want to jinx it… but they worked well together, he could tell. And she liked his material. She hadn't said so, but Ryan had been watching her as she played and had seen the undeniable light in her eyes. Feeling a tad awkward by the silence, Ryan impulsively played a little jazz groove on the drums. Kelsi's face broke into a surprised grin._

_"Oh so is this the jazz version?" she inquired teasingly before playing some jazzy chords to go along with it. Ryan smirked in reply and changed the beat again._

_"I dunno… maybe heavy metal?" he suggested, improvising a crazy, stadium rock drum fill. Not to be outdone, Kelsi smugly started to play a lavish romantic sounding piece on the piano._

_"Beethoven?" _

_"It's the classical version."_

_"Show-off." Ryan joked. She grinned cheekily at him. Then her face turned serious as her playing came to a halt._

_"It's good Ryan." she said softly, breaking eye-contact and looking at the music shyly. "Better than good. It's… lovely." _

_Ryan was lost for words for a moment. Kelsi thought his writing was lovely. She'd called him Ryan._

_"Oh… well I'm no Kelsi Nielson." Ryan stuttered, clumsily tip-toeing from behind the drum kit to rejoin her at the piano. "The song was already great…"_

_"It was nice. You made it better. I definitely prefer it to the last time you changed one of my songs." she said dryly, her eyes still focused on the music. _

_"Did I ever apologise for that?" Ryan murmured. She shook her head slowly her unreadable expression still fixed on the score. He kept his eyes trained on her, hoping for her to meet his gaze again. Of course he knew he had never apologised. He had wanted to. At the time he had told himself that she hadn't given him the chance, but, being honest with itself, he had just been too afraid to face up to what he had done. Ryan took a deep breath. It was now or never it seemed. _

_"Well I am sorry." he said sincerely, and to his relief she finally looked at him. "It wasn't my idea, it was Sharpay's, but I was still part of it. I didn't want to tell her no and that was stupid. I… well now you know I write too and I would have been devastated if that was me." _

_Kelsi gave him a weak smile and Ryan was sure he could see a hint of understanding in her eyes. _

_"We should use this for something." she said, swiftly changing the subject, all business as she adjusted the pages in front of her. "Maybe in the talent show. This needs a big ensemble..."_

_"We?" Ryan asked curiously. He knew Kelsi was planning a big employee number with her friends but he wasn't employee… and they weren't his friends. _

_"It really suits your voice Ryan." she said honestly, giving him an encouraging smile. Ryan didn't quite comprehend what was happening. Why would she want to hand over her song to him?_

_"No." he said firmly, determined to take the moral high ground. "It's your song Kelsi. Keep it for the wildcats…"_

_"You ARE a wildcat." Kelsi stressed in a clipped voice. She was starting to look a bit frustrated at him inability to grasp what was going on. _

_"You, Sharpay and the employees could ALL do a number."_

_Ryan stared at her in amazement. After everything he had put her through. After Sharpay had mistreated her time after time, she wanted to involve them? Perform with them? Invite them into her circle of friends? He scanned her features, taking in how honest and genuine her expression was. How she didn't seem to see what the big deal was._

_"Are you sure?" he asked shortly, his throat suddenly feeling quite dry._

_"Sure." Kelsi said brightly. "It's nice to work with someone. i know we haven't always…"_

_Clip Clop Clip Clop_

_Kelsi stopped talking abruptly, her eyes widening in fear at the approach of what could only be one thing…_

* * *

Over Chad's shoulder, Ryan saw the petite girl on the edge of the group make her way to the table with all the snacks laid out. She was still out of earshot of the rest of the group and Ryan didn't know when else he'd get a chance to talk to her. It had been an unforgettable morning. It confirmed that he hadn't been imagining it things. He and Kelsi Nielson did have a connection. Sure, most of their conversations involved her yelling at him or ignoring him all together, but he would be the first to admit that he had often deserved it. He had thought that her continued grudge against him would dull his appreciation for her, but despite her clear disdain for him, he was somehow unable to stop noticing he numerous good qualities. Her selfless nature. Her desire for everyone to be included. Her quiet patience and enduring optimism. Her ever-growing had even seen today just how fun she could be, and that was with him! Her sworn nemesis!

Ryan actually felt unbelievably jealous of the wildcats. Not just for camaraderie and the fact that they seemed to have a lot more fun at school than he did in Sharpay's company, but because they got to hang out with the REAL Kelsi. The Kelsi that didn't scowl in their presence and played for them out of enjoyment instead of duty. He had seen a glimpse of it today though. It was a tentative shift in her behaviour towards him, but for Ryan it spoke volumes.

"Just gonna get another brownie…" Ryan mumbled to the group surrounding him before jumping up from the table and making his way over to Kelsi in what he hoped was a nonchalant manner. She had her back to him and he waited until he was right behind her before he spoke.

"Great brownies huh?" he said brightly in her ear. To his amusement she jumped in fright, clearly having not heard his footsteps. When she turned to face him Ryan felt his smile fade somewhat. The friendly, open expression from earlier was gone and in its place was withdrawn suspicion.

"Kelsi? is there…"

"How did Sharpay know about my song?" she snapped before he could finish. Ryan looked at her dumbly for a few seconds before he managed to form a reply.

"What song?" he said hastily, mentally kicking himself a second later. Of course he knew what song.

"You know what song." Kelsi said darkly, her eyes staring at him accusingly. Ryan took a deep breath to mentally prepare himself, knowing that he only had one chance to explain himself and win back some faith from her.

"I wasn't trying to steal it." he said calmly, trying to shape his expression into something that looked sincere.

"Oh so you were just making idle conversation with your sister about the song that I PURPOSELY kept from her." Kelsi hissed in reply, turning away from the group so they wouldn't see them arguing.

"Were you even paying attention earlier!?" Ryan snapped before he could stop himself. It earned him a formidable scowl from Kelsi but he tried to hold his ground. He would never claim to have treated her in the best possible way before, but this time she had it wrong.

"I don't know if you noticed, but I wasn't exactly invited to perform your song." Ryan continued, taking advantage of Kels'is shocked silence.

"I thought she just wanted an idea of the competition. I'm sorry about what she did Kelsi but I am NOT my sister, I don't control what she does!"

Ryan was suddenly conscious of how much quieter it seemed to be. He glanced over at the rest of the wildcats and saw most of them quickly look away when he met their gaze. They carried on talking together, seemingly unfazed by how Ryan's voice had suddenly raised in volume. If they had noticed, they were trying to pretend they hadn't.

"Ok… Look Ryan this morning was fun." she sighed, frowning at her feet. "And you're very talented, but I can you see why it might take me a bit longer for me to get used to this…" Kelsi waggled her finger between themselves and the rest of the group to indicate what she meant.

"We'll be working together on the show." Ryan reminded her. "I'd like if we could be friends."

He looked at her hopefully but all he received in return was uncertainty. She chewed her lip for a few seconds, evidently thinking it over.

"You did just say I was talented…" Ryan said cheekily, hoping to lighten the mood. To his relief she gave him a smile, though it looked like she was humouring him.

"You don't need to like someone to acknowledge they're good at something." she said pointedly.

"Aaaah but you said I was _very_ talented." Ryan pointed out with a smirk. He had to stifle a laugh when he saw the look of panic, flash across the small composer's face.

"No… I… I'm sure I said…"

"How about we say a truce." Ryan cut in, kindly deciding to stop teasing her. "If friends is too… difficult."

She considered him for a moment then nodded curtly, offering him her hand which he gratefully shook.

"Ok. A truce. Seeing as we're working on the show. But mess with my summer Evans, and it's over."


	5. The one about Gabriella

**ENJOY MY DEARS! And thank you again for reading :) Please let me know what you think!**

* * *

"Want me to hit him for you?"

Kelsi jumped in alarm, causing her to play an odd flurry of notes on the piano before she eased back into the accompaniment for 'All for one'. Jason was peeking over her shoulder and following her eyes to where Ryan was taking Gabriella through the choreography.

"That won't be required. We called a truce." Kelsi replied, putting on a smile for him and pecking his cheek.

"Oh yeah." Jason replied, arching an eyebrow. "Then why are you glaring at him?"

"I'm not!" Kelsi protested, trying to arrange her features into a casual expression.

Ok so she had been glaring. But not because of any grudge she held for Ryan. It was clear that he was trying to change his colours and she was honestly trying to forget what had happened in the past. However, that didn't mean that anything he did _now_ couldn't annoy her…

"Honestly I'm fine Jase." Kelsi said softly, giving her boyfriend her best cheerful grin. "You get back to learning the dance."

"Ok, but only because I need the practice." he said brightly, giving her shoulders and affectionate squeeze before jogging back into the centre of the rehearsal room.

Truth was, she wasn't fine. Maybe she was being overly suspicious, but she just kept noticing things. Things that could potentially harm friendships. It was their last summer before Senior Year and they seemed to already have lost Troy. Kelsi really didn't want anymore trouble and Ryan joining their group was making her increasingly nervous that something else was going to happen to her precious group of friends. She had never really had close friends until last year and the last thing she wanted was to have them all taken away before school even ended. Kelsi felt a small niggle of pain in her forehead and stopped to take a drink of water. There was so much going on on her head right now but she didn't really have anyone to talk to about it. All her friends were completely won over by Ryan already, and Jason… Well she never really felt like she could confide in Jason. They were just so different.

Kelsi looked back over at the boy who had caused all this trouble and felt a pang of anxiety again. Gabriella had executed the partner step perfectly and had let out a squeal of excitement as she hugged Ryan. As they stepped out of the hug, she saw Ryan take her hand and kiss it before signalling to the group that they could take a break. He then made his way over to the piano and Kelsi made a point of penetrating him with an accusing stare. Annoyingly, Ryan seemed unfazed by this as he leaned against the piano and yawned widely.

"What is it now Kelsi." he sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Excuse me?" Kelsi replied, raising her eyebrows at his flippant manner.

"Well you're pissed about something. I think I can tell by now when you're annoyed with me." Ryan joked, flashing her a grin. Kelsi didn't return the smile.

"What are you doing with Gabriella?" she asked in a low voice, jerking her head over to the girl in question. Ryan glanced over to the other side of the room where Gabriella and Taylor sat giggling together.

"Uuuuh teaching her how to dance. Isn't that…"

"Oh cut the crap Evans." Kelsi blurted out in a viscous whisper. "You're sticking to her like glue. You… you kissed her hand."

To her further irritation, Ryan just cocked his head as if amused by her accusations.

"Oh well I could kiss your hand too if it would make you feel better…" he said with a sly smile.

"What… No! That's… that's not…" Kelsi stuttered, losing her train of thought as Ryan chuckled and purposely leaned closer to her across the piano, as if listening intently.

"You know she's taken." she eventually managed to articulate, giving Ryan a scowl for good measure.

"I don't see Troy anywhere." Ryan quipped, glancing around the room before smirking at her again. Kelsi narrowed her eyes menacingly. She didn't know what he was up to but she knew she didn't like it.

"That doesn't matter." she said in a low dangerous voice. "They are MY friends and messing with them is messing with MY summer. Which would break our truce if you remember."

"Oh yeah the truce." Ryan said with a mock sigh. He evidently saw the look Kelsi gave him for that comment and dropped the charade immediately, putting his palms up in defence.

"Okay, okay! Gabriella's the first dance partner I've ever had that isn't my sister so sue me if I latched onto the affection." he murmured quickly, dropping his gaze to the floor. Kelsi watched him curiously, then started to feel guilty as she recognised the vulnerability in his blue eyes. She knew how it felt to go from having no friends to suddenly be surrounded by them. It was the best feeling in the world, to finally be accepted for who you are. She'd been so concerned about Ryan messing up this new arrangement for her that she hadn't stopped to consider that he was now in the same boat as she had been the day she had become friends with Troy and Gabriella.

Gabriella. The friendliest, most accepting creature on the planet. Always ready to give someone a chance or pick them up they're down. If it hadn't been for her, there would be no show and Ryan would still be snooping around for his sister. Could she really blame him for taking to her so quickly?

"I'm not going to 'steal her' if that's what you think." he said quietly, his expression open and honest.

"Right. Good." she said curtly, suddenly feeling a bit awkward. There was a small silence between them, broken only by Ryan tapping his foot rhythmically. Eventually he cleared his throat.

"Mind if I sit down?" he asked tentatively, gesturing to the piano stool. Kelsi just scooted over, making room for him. Unprompted, he put his fingers to the keys and began to play 'Everyday'. It was the version they had worked out together, and it sounded a lot better than when Ryan had played it before…

"You've been practising." Kelsi stated, watching his fingers dance across the keys. Ryan's face lit up at this and he nodded proudly as he continued to play.

"Make it last forever, and never give it back…." Kelsi sang softly. Ryan kept his eyes on the keys but she saw his eyes widen in surprise. Frankly, she had surprised herself. She wasn't sure why she had suddenly decided to add the vocals, especially seeing as she NEVER sang publicly unless necessary. She felt a keen sense of camaraderie, having co-written a song with someone else for the first time. Singing along had just felt right somehow.

"Take my hand, together we will celebrate…" they sang together. Kelsi caught Ryan's eye and as they shared a small smile. Now that they had indulged in the whole chorus, Kelsi understood her sudden impulse to sing. She was happy. Writing with someone and playing the work they had created was a wonderful feeling and she wanted to experience it with him.

"Guys… what's that?"  
The dissonant sound of Ryan's hands jerking over the keys brought them back to earth with a start. Kelsi blinked over the piano at the crowd of people who had, unbeknown to Ryan and Kelsi, fallen silent as they played. Chad stood at the front of the group expectantly, awaiting an answer.

"It's… well…" Kelsi looked to Ryan desperately but he looked just as tongue-tied as her.

It's…"

"It's Kelsi's new song." Ryan eventually said hastily.

"But Ryan helped." Kelsi added, unwilling to take the full credit. "We sort of… wrote it together."

"Well not really. The song was there and I just changed a few things."

"Oh no! It was barely a song. Ryan actually did the second verse so…"

"Wait, you guys wrote a song together?" Jason said, loudly cutting her off. "When?"

Kelsi recoiled as she peeked over the piano and saw Jason's expression. He looked confused mostly, but she could see a hint of suspicion in his features. She could tell he was wondering why she hadn't divulged this information to him. In fact, why hadn't she?

"Oh it was… When was it?" Kelsi stammered, looking to Ryan for help.

"Uuuh just before the baseball game?" Ryan said uncertainly, his cheeks gradually flushing in embarrassment.

"BEFORE the baseball game?" Jason repeated, raising his eyebrows.

"Well it's perfect for the show!" Gabriella announced, swooping into the front of the group enthusiastically. Kelsi silently thanked her friend from saving her from the questions that seemed on everyone's minds.

"It's even better than 'All for one.'" Martha added as the others nodded in agreement.

"Well we could do this one, I mean it's more or less ready." Kelsi said, noting her friends' encouraging faces and smiling gratefully in return.

She turned to smile at Ryan but was met by a look of panic.

"I dunno, I've never performed anything I've helped written before. What if…"

"Ryan it's great!" Gabriella spoke up, suddenly materialising next to the piano. "We all love it!"

Ryan met her beaming smile and Kelsi saw his eyes light up with enthusiasm.

"Ok, well… Places then!" he announced with a grin, leaping from the piano stool and joining the group in the centre of the room again. Kelsi felt a little regretful as she watched Gabriella pull Ryan into a one-armed hug as they walked away. She felt as if Gabriella had stolen her lines. Kelsi knew first hand what it was like to compose something and feel torn about whether to expose it or not. On the one hand, you were proud of your work and wanted to do something with it, but on the other hand, the idea of it being rejected or disliked was terrifying. Especially if you didn't have many friends to back you up. She had been furious with Ryan in Junior Year for handing over her composition to Ms Darbus, but in hindsight, it seemed like the best thing that had ever happened to her. Kelsi often wondered if she would have ever found the courage to do it herself and where would she be now if not? She knew all about how scary it was to expose yourself by letting people hear your work and it should have been her to pick Ryan up from this insecurity, not Gabriella.

Kelsi frowned at this thought. Did it really matter? She didn't even like Ryan!

Kelsi glanced over to the group as Ryan started to invent additional choreography for the new song. He started to do an impression of what would be an incorrect, unsightly way of doing the dance move he was demonstrating and soon had everyone in stitches. Everyone was smiling and seemed to trust him completely with the show. Even Kelsi had to admit, it was getting increasingly difficult to dislike him. When separated from his sister, Ryan was aggravatingly likeable. He was probably the most charismatic person Kelsi had ever encountered and now that he had a chance to really be himself, everyone just seemed automatically drawn to him. He made everyone laugh and he worked hard to make everyone feel included and valued in the group. Every time Jason needed help with something (which was a lot) Ryan would patiently take him through the sequence again. Kelsi could see Jason trying to be loyally indifferent and aloof, knowing that she disliked Ryan. However, one joke would have him sniggering, then afterwards he looked confused by the whole thing, as if he didn't even know how Ryan had somehow weaseled onto his good side. It was simply impossible not to get along with him! Even the way he looked was striking and eye-catching, with his porcelain skin, light blonde hair and big, round blue eyes.

Kelsi watched the wildcats run the number from the top and, sure enough, Ryan looked like he belonged, as if he had always been part of their group. She might as well admit it, he was probably in for the long haul.

_Maybe today's argument was our last?_ she thought hopefully.


	6. The one about Julliard

**Aaaah it's been a while! SORRY! :( It's a double feature to make up for it. Enjoy!**

* * *

I got a lot of things I have to do…"

"Ssssh!"

Kelsi jumped as the librarian, Ms Falstaff, suddenly materialised behind her, halting her idle sing-song. As she looked up from the thick book she was studying, she saw that she had earned an intense glare from the librarian. Kelsi waited until her back was turned to roll her eyes. What was she to expect when an entire music class was taken out of the music room and into a library where no noise, let alone music was allowed? In Kelsi's opinion, if Ms Falstaff had a problem with her barely audible singing she should take it up with Ms Reid, their music teacher and the reason for their current predicament. It was the first day back at school after Summer vacation and within the first ten minutes of the class, Ms Reid had been dismayed to find that her students hadn't, as they had promised, decided on the pieces they planned to compare and contrast for their 'extended essay'. This essay was an essential part of the curriculum, counting for 25% of their final mark, and was due before Christmas break. When it became clear that any recollection of this had been erased from the student's minds over summer, Ms Reid had exiled them all to the library. Kelsi wasn't the only one having trouble either. A boy across from her had just been shot a fowl look from Ms Falstaff for drumming on the table and she was sure she had seen the formidable librarian carrying some fancy headphones, obviously confiscated from a poor music student. Unwilling to be told off again, Kelsi buried her nose in her book and tried to concentrate on the Baroque period…

She managed to concentrate for a full thirty seconds before the chair opposite her scraped along the floor, indicating someone's arrival. Kelsi peeked over her book and locked eyes with Ryan as he sat down. The pair smiled shyly at each other. She had sort of accidentally become friends with Ryan over the summer. She wasn't entirely sure how it had all fallen into place. The truth was probably that it had been too difficult not to. They had too many things in common and Ryan's charisma and friendliness was too contagious. However, some things were destined to never change and Kelsi and Ryan soon developed a reputation for bickering over any given situation. Whether it was what movie the group were going to watch (the infamous 'Singing in the Rain' or 'An American in Paris' argument that the group had dubbed 'The Gene Kelly Massacre') or the fact that their hats were matching. Ryan insisted he didn't purposely coordinate with her but part of Kelsi was still convinced that he was doing it on purpose to annoy her… Still, they hadn't had a real heated argument in a while. In fact, Ryan had shown himself to be a good friend to her. Especially the last couple of weeks…

_"Kels…"_

_Kelsi looked up from the piano as Ryan peeked his head into the spacious music room. Kelsi sniffed loudly and quickly tried to wipe her teary eyes._

_"How did you know I was here?" she said thickly, trying to dip her head so her hat hid her tear-stained face. Ryan shrugged in response._

_"You went missing, my house has a music room. It wasn't exactly rocket science." Ryan commented, giving her a small smile. She didn't lift her head but nodded in reply. She had left the rest of the wildcats downstairs in the dining room. The Evans family held an annual party in their home for for the lava springs staff to mark the end of the summer season and the large room had been converted into a dance floor for the occasion. This was of course amazing, but after a full hour of having to witness Jason's detached, cold behaviour, she had retreated to the music room to have some time to herself._

_"I guess it's kinda weird with Jason right now?" Ryan offered, sitting next to her at the piano. Kelsi nodded, not shying away from the subject. After organising the talent show and staging Gabriella's return, they had managed to build a camaraderie of sorts between themselves. Kelsi certainly felt more comfortable with him that she had ever been previously. It was more than a truce. Almost like… friendship._

_"Yeah." Kelsi sighed in agreement. "I mean, he knew as well as me that we weren't right together but I think he's annoyed I didn't tell him sooner. He said he's been really worried and that if he'd known I wanted to end it then.."_

_"It's not your fault." Ryan cut in gently. "You did the right thing."_

_Kelsi let out a humourless laugh and played a small rapid scale on the piano, trying to rid herself of some of the tension she was feeling._

_"If I'm honest, I think he's a bit bummed that I ended it rather than him." she said, rolling her eyes. "He's fine. And I can handle the awkwardness for a while. We had a big talk about how we want things to be normal and stuff."_

_Kelsi, proud of how conclusive this sounded, looked to Ryan and smiled confidently. He just stared back at her curiously._

_"Then what is it?" he asked, a little frown appearing on his brow as he searched her face._

_"What's what?" Kelsi replied, suddenly feeling very self conscious._

_"You're not this upset because stuff got a little awkward." Ryan said curtly, arching an eyebrow at her. Kelsi met his gaze for a moment, then began to play a section of 'Everyday' as she gave herself time to think. She knew why she was upset. She had given it lots of thought. The decision whether to tell Ryan or not seemed a lot more complicated. She wanted to tell someone how she felt, she could almost feel it bursting from her, but was Ryan the right person? Despite everything they had been through this summer, he had still hurt her numerous times and opening up to him made her feel suddenly small and vulnerable. Kelsi met his eyes again, took in the open and trusting expression and made her decision._

_"I think a little part of me, a stupid part of me," she added hastily. " thinks that no one else will ever take interest in me. That I should just… be happy with Jason because I'm lucky to have a boyfriend at all." Kelsi felt her eyes pricking again but the words were tumbling fast and furious now and seemed out of her control. "I mean, no one even noticed me until Junior Year. He wouldn't have noticed me if his friends weren't dating my friends. It was a total accident. I don't get noticed, that just doesn't happen with me. And I get a great caring guy handed to me on a plate and now I'm just throwing it away."_

_"You didn't have a connection." Ryan interrupted her bluntly. Kelsi's eyes flitted up to meet his and she found his blue eyes boring into her intensely. She was suddenly aware of how the close their proximity was on the narrow piano bench. Eager to break the uncomfortable tension, Kelsi giggled._

_"I was wondering when you were going to say 'I told you so.'" she smirked._

_"I didn't want to be right if it made you unhappy." Ryan replied softly, not breaking his gaze. Kelsi felt the heat flush to her cheeks but found herself unable to say anything. What could she say to that?_

_"But yeah I was right." Ryan grinned, lightening the mood. "And you can't stay with someone just because you're worried you won't find someone better for you."_

_Ryan got up from the bench on his last comment and made to leave again._

_"I need to get back to the guests, but come down when you're ready. Jason will be fine if you just… be normal." Ryan said from the door, giving her a kind smile. Kelsi nodded gratefully._

_"Thanks. For the room and for the… pep talk."_

_"Anytime." Ryan grinned, opening the door to leave. "Oh and Kelsi…"_

_Kelsi sat up straighter on the piano bench to look at him._

_"I know for a fact that people notice you everyday."_

He had been right of course. In no time, things between her and Jason were friendly again. The group had all sat together at lunch (though Ryan dutifully sat with his sister as usual) and Kelsi felt like they had all, always been friends. It was comforting. As much as she hated to admit it, Ryan was part of that comfort and she was done trying to deny that they were friends.

"Happy to be… BACH at school?" Ryan whispered behind his own book, 'Popular Music in the 20th Century'. Kelsi put down her book and raised her eyebrows, trying not to smile at the awful pun.

"Baroque jokes. Really?" she replied in a hushed voice. Ryan grinned mischievously and lowered his own book.

"Yup. I've got a whole… Liszt." he said, smirking smugly.

"He's not a Baroque composer." Kelsi said pointedly. Ryan just shrugged.

"Maybe you should make the Baroque jokes…" he suggested with a smirk.  
Kelsi lifted her book again, determined not to get sucked in when she was supposed to be working, but it was too tempting.

"I'm not sure I can… Handel anymore." she said slyly, grinning as she heard Ryan stifle a laugh behind his hands.

"I'm not sure I can Handel anymore of the library." Ryan said glumly, once his sniggers subsided. "I was looking forward to playing the guitar again…"

"What's your essay on?" Kelsi asked interestedly, nodding at the book in his hands. Ryan frowned and glanced down at the volume.

"No idea, I'm actually reading this."

Ryan flipped the book round so Kelsi could see the inside pages. To her surprise, the Julliard Prospectus lay open on a page with the slogan, 'Want to Dance?'

Kelsi looked at it dejectedly. She knew that she would have constant reminders throughout the year of colleges and courses that she couldn't possibly afford or dream of attending, but she hadn't ever thought it would start on the first day back. Ryan didn't seem to have registered this and was grinning broadly at the picture of a ballet dancer in flight on the title page.

"I've wanted to go to Julliard since I was eight years old." Ryan said in an excited whisper. His feet had even began an involuntary tap dance under the desk. This was soon halted by a loud cough from the librarian but the brightness in his eyes remained.

"Yeah me too." Kelsi admitted resignedly. She had harboured the same desire ever since her family had taken her to see a touring production of 'West Side Story' in Alburqurque. The orchestra had been visible to the audience, elevated on a tall platform onstage. It was an evening she would never forget. It was the evening she had discovered that she not only wanted a future in music, but specifically in theatre. When she got home she had leafed through the program and found that most of the participants, including the musical director, had attended Julliard. It had been her dream ever since. However, that was when she was eight years old, before she had any knowledge of issues such as 'college fees'.

"Amazing!" Ryan hissed, leaning forward across the table enthusiastically. 'What are you auditioning with?"

"I'm not." Kelsi replied shortly. She silently cursed herself. This was something she really didn't want to talk about and especially not with someone as wealthy as Ryan. Though she would have been better off lying than giving him the answer she just had, for he was bound to ask about it now…

"What?" Ryan asked, dumbstruck.

There it was.

"I can't." Kelsi murmured, lowering her voice as Ms Falstaff floated by. "It costs a fortune…"

"You'll get a scholarship." Ryan replied confidently.

"Yeah and where's the audition? Oh yeah New York." Kelsi snapped back bitterly. "I can't just fly there in my dad's jet."

The silence that followed was more than uncomfortable. Kelsi squirmed in her seat, instantly regretting having snapped at Ryan. He hadn't done anything wrong except accidentally touch a nerve.

"Ouch." Ryan said sullenly, closing his book, and the prospectus in it, silently.

"I'm sorry." Kelsi sighed. "It's just a bit of a sore spot that's all…"

"Kels…"

"I don't want to talk about it." Kelsi replied curtly. There was nothing more embarrassing or awkward than discussing how little money your parents had with a member of the Evans family.

"Look, you can…"

"Evans! This is a library, not a social gathering!" Ms Falstaff hissed, appearing from nowhere once again. Ryan nodded and glumly and went back to his book, opting to sit in silence with Kelsi.

When the bell eventually signalled the end of class, Kelsi found Ryan bounding after her down the hallway as they left the library.

"C'mon Kelsi you have to apply."

"I told you, it's not possible."

"But you don't know that. Maybe there are different ways…"

"I should be spending my time applying for colleges that I can afford and will actually take me in the first place." Kelsi growled as she rounded the corner towards their lockers. Ryan's endless optimism and unwillingness to give up could be charming at times but right now it was a real pain in the ass.

"How can you say that!? Of course they'll TAKE you!" Ryan shrieked, his voice raising in pitch slightly as he stared at her incredulously. He had inconveniently (and Kelsi believed PURPOSELY) stood in front of her locker, barring her way.

"Evans! Step away from my locker." Kelsi warned, trying to keep her tone calm. Ryan just folded his arms and stood his ground.

"Not until you agree to apply to Julliard." he said stubbornly.

"That's not even within my power!" Kelsi snapped her voice rising in volume. A few heads turned in the corridors but she ignored them. Her main priority was getting Ryan the hell away from her locker so she could get on with her day.

"Sure it is. You're a smart girl Kels, I'm sure you're capable of penning a letter." Ryan said smartly, giving her an antagonising grin. Kelsi considered him closely then glanced at her watch, calculating how little time she now had to get her books for her next class.

"Fine. I'll apply. Now let me in my locker!"

"That's all I needed to hear." Ryan said cheerfully, making a grand gesture of sweeping himself out the way. Kelsi gave him a curt 'thank you.' as she stomped forward to retrieve her books for English. Ryan was rummaging through his own locker, humming a merry tune to himself and Kelsi was doing her best to ignore him but it was impossible to miss his smug grin, even out the corner of her eye.

"You are such a child." Kelsi said grumpily as she slammed her locker closed and began to walk through the sea of students.

"I thought it was quite charming." Ryan chirped happily as he strolled beside her.

"There's nothing more charming than blackmail." Kelsi replied sarcastically, still in the huff.

"Whatever. You'll thank me one day."

"You know you can't just go around demanding that people do things for you."

"If you notice, it wasn't for me, it was for you."

"Oh I see, you were doing me a favour by disrupting my baroque study and making me late for class."

"Well I didn't mean to… STRAUSS you out…"

Kelsi slowed down to look over and give Ryan the most condescending look she could muster.

"Strauss isn't from the Baroque era either!"

"Oh the first argument of the year. Joyous." a voice muttered airily. Kelsi only just caught Sharpay rolling her eyes before she strutted past them with a toss of her long blonde hair.


	7. The one about the dress

Ryan was stressed, and it wasn't just any kind of stress. It was SHOW stressed. The dress rehearsal for 'Night To Remember' was due to start… five minutes ago and there was still only himself, Gabriella, Taylor and a handful of dancers onstage.

"Where is everyone?!" Ms Darbus exclaimed from her seat in the front row of the auditorium. Ryan ceased pacing the stage and pulling at his hair for a moment to give her a look of despair.

"Oh hold yourself together Ryan!" Ms Darbus scolded. "It's your senior year. This dress rehearsal is the least of your worries I assure you."

Ryan's jaw dropped at the comment. The way his drama teacher went on about the importance of the arts, he'd expected her to be worse than him. Instead she just lounged in her chair and sighed at her watch. He supposed, however, that Ms Darbus had directed countless shows in her year, whereas this was his first. At this rate, he was considering making it his last. He could feel little beads of sweat on his forehead developing due to the anxiety.

"Ms Darbus… We only have a limited number of times that everyone can practice in their costumes." Ryan said slowly, his voice shaking slightly. "The Julliard representatives will be watching and if the choreography is danced badly then it makes my choreography look bad. I can't afford…"

"They'll be here soon." Gabriella cut in, giving Ryan a comforting glance. "The guys probably got caught up at practice."

"What about everyone else?" Ryan demanded, resuming his pacing.

"I think all the dancers are here." Taylor informed him. "They're just waiting backstage."

"My sister?" Ryan asked, dreading the answer.

"Getting her hair curled by Tiara." Taylor said dryly.

"Well at least he's in the building." Ryan huffed. "What about Kelsi and Martha?"

Gabriella and Taylor shared a worried glance before answering.

"Kelsi is.. Well… she won't come out her the dressing room." Gabriella murmured, biting her lip as she anxiously gaged Ryan's reaction. Ryan stared back at her, puzzled.

"Why?" he asked incredulously.

"I think she's embarrassed about her dress." Taylor added, her brown eyes concerned. "Martha's trying to coax her out…"

That was all Ryan needed and he bolted into the wings with one goal and one goal only. To get Kelsi Nielson onstage. Pronto.

* * *

As he raced through the backstage area, Ryan had to admit to himself that this was partly his fault. He had some input in Kelsi's costume after all…

_"Come in."_

_Ryan entered the empty classroom. It was empty apart from an eccentric looking boy sat at a sewing machine and surrounded by paper in the centre of the room. If Ryan didn't already know, he would have easily guessed that this was the Sophomore that Ms Darbus had recruited to design the costumes in the show. He was wearing a pair of stylish faded skinny jeans, black shiny boots, a white shirt and a waistcoat embellished with a swirly silver design. His brown, curly tousled hair also gave him an air of 'art student' about him. He looked up from his designs as Ryan entered and smiled brightly at him._

_"Ryan! You're the choreographer right? I'm Dale." he said enthusiastically. _

_"Yeah. Hi. Ms Darbus said you wanted to see me." Ryan said, sitting next to the boy who had began gathering up some of the pieces of paper. _

_"I've almost finished the designs for the principal girls prom dresses." he said in a businesslike manner as he started to lay out the designs in front of Ryan. "I needed to check with you that they'll still be able to dance the choreography. Plus, I know they're your friends so some general feedback would be good."_

_Ryan let his eyes scan over the designs and he found himself pleasantly impressed. There were wonderful elements of the girls' dresses that he never would have considered. Like Taylor's bow tie. Or the way Sharpay's dress seemed like a modern twist on a classic prom dress design. The only problem was…_

_"Kelsi." Ryan said, stabbing the design with his finger. _

_"Oh… You don't like it?" Dale asked, his face falling tragically. _

_"No, it's beautiful." Ryan said hurriedly. "It's just… This is very long and elegant, and I need her to be like a ballerina."_

_Dale blinked at Ryan a few times has he processed the comment. Then his face exploded into a wide grin._

_"Excellent." he breathed, throwing his pencil to the paper in front of him and sketching furiously. Ryan watched Dale curiously as he worked, his nose an inch from his design. After a few seconds he put down his pencil with a flourish and looked up at Ryan hopefully. As he leaned over to inspect the new drawing, Ryan beamed at what he saw. Kelsi's dress was now short and puffy, almost like a ballerina's tutu._

_"It will be layered." Dale explained, adding some extra strokes with his pencil, "And when she turns it will fan out. I could change the colour..."_

_"No don't!" Ryan said hurriedly. "The cream is nice. Sort of… ethereal." _

_"That's what I was going for." Dale said with a grateful smile._

_"She needs to match me anyway and I kinda like the colour of my suit." Ryan joked. Dale suddenly raised his eyebrows as if in understanding._

_"Oh I see! You're going to prom with Kelsi! The composer and the choreographer, nice…"_

_"No!" Ryan blurted out, suddenly finding himself very flustered. "Well… Yeah. The fake prom. Not the real one. Unless she… I haven't… Not yet anyway." _

_It suddenly felt a bit overly warm in the room and Ryan was sure Dale was trying to hard to not laugh at his oh-so-smooth reaction to what he had said. _

_Still. The Composer and the choreographer..._

He eventually found Martha crouched beside one of the dressing rooms, leaning against the wall dejectedly. As Ryan approached she gave him a helpless looking shrug.

"Martha can you run through the number with the dancers onstage?" Ryan suggested curtly. Martha nodded and got to her feet, but paused and gave him a look of concern as she passed.

"We happened to pass Dale in the hallway this morning." Martha murmured to him, her tone full of warning as she glanced meaningfully at the dressing room door. Ryan gulped involuntarily as Martha jogged off back to the stage. He was in trouble…

"It'll be fine Kels, you're a great dancer. You need a turn in the spotlight. You'll get to wear a beautiful dress…" Kelsi muttered from behind the closed door, in what Ryan considered not only to be a poor, but severely high pitched impersonation of his voice. He sighed patiently and sat cross legged on the floor, leaning against the door to hear her better.

"All of those things are true." he reminded her, in what he hoped was an optimistic voice.

"You neglected to mention that the afore mentioned beautiful dress would fly up every time I so much as think about turning." she growled in reply. "And I KNOW this is your fault! Dale told me all about your little meeting."

"Kelsi…" Ryan began quietly, doing his best to keep calm and not think about how pushed for time they were, "I only changed it because…"

"Did you think to even ASK me?" she ranted on. "I just turn up today to find that my dress is several feet shorter!"

"Look I'm sorry that this is stressing you out." Ryan said heatedly, beginning to lose his patience. "But right now your dress is only one of the MANY problems we have with the show right now and I needed everyone on stage about fifteen minutes ago!"

His voice was rising but he didn't care. All that mattered at the moment was getting every single person in the number onstage.

"Why do you always just DO things without people's permission?!" Kelsi barked from her room, her own voice rising to meet Ryan's.

"Well I'm really sorry that I went to the effort to give you a better costume. Really sorry!" he replied sarcastically.

"When I turn you can see EVERYTHING!"

"Well just be careful for now and we'll look at it later!

"Ryan you KNEW it would make me uncomfortable." Kelsi snapped back. Her voice was hushed now, a sure sign that she was getting upset. "I've been nervous enough about the dance moves and the hundreds of other things I need to worry about for the show and this… I really don't need to feel uncomfortable in my costume too!"

Ryan heard her voice catch at the end and froze. He could deal with angry Kelsi, he'd had more than enough practice, but upset Kelsi wasn't something he knew how to handle. From the stage he heard a rumble of footfalls that had to be the guys finally turning up from basketball practice, but he stayed where he was, his urgency somehow deflated. Rehearsal didn't seem to be the priority anymore.

"I'm sorry." Ryan said softly after a moment of silence. "It was unfair not to tell you. I thought you would like it…"

"I do like it." he heard her reply quietly from behind the door. "It's beautiful. Sorry, I know your heart was in the right place but I'm just freaking out over this routine already…"

"Can you come out?" Ryan asked tentatively. "We'll try some of the choreography, just you and me. If it really doesn't work then you can wear your normal clothes for today and we'll rethink the design."

Ryan waited patiently for a reply but heard nothing. He pressed his ear to the door, wondering if Kelsi's small voice was just failing to carry. Then he heard the handle click and the door swung open, causing him to fall ungracefully through the doorway, sending his bowler hat rolling into the dressing room. As he tried to scramble to his feet, his hat was presented to him by a small hand. Ryan lifted his gaze to the hand's owner and took a sharp intake of breath at the vision before him.

Dale was a genius, he decided. He had asked for ethereal and he had been given it. She looked like something out of a fairytale. The dress not only complimented her figure but sparkled all over, giving her skin a mystical sort of glow. She had pinned her hair up, creating a classical style that fit with his own outfit. And her eyes. Her eyes sparkled.

"No glasses." Ryan managed to mumble as he straightened up and tried not to stare too much.

"No, they kept flying off my face." Kelsi said shyly. "Better not drop the ball tonight Evans. I can't see a foot in front of me."

"What?! Are you serious?!" Ryan exclaimed, staring at her in horror. To his dismay she let out a delighted giggle.

"No. I got contacts." she replied with a cheeky smirk.

"You're hilarious." Ryan said with a humourless laugh, though truthfully he was ecstatic that she seemed to have rediscovered her sense of humour for now.

As promised, Ryan pushed back the rehearsal another five minutes to go over some of the steps with her. To his relief, they found a way for her to do the choreography without revealing too much. Ryan was still in awe of how Dale had redesigned the dress. It moved gracefully with every step that Kelsi took and gave her that classical ballerina look that Ryan was looking for. Eventually, Kelsi looked happy to continue and Ryan was finally able to begin rehearsal. Luckily, Martha had the good sense to prepare everyone beforehand so everyone was in costume and in their starting positions for the number to begin. Even his sister was primped and ready to go! As the number began, Ryan started to feel the stress ebb away. This was everyone's favourite number and they knew the choreography inside out. The only thing he was even remotely worried about was the girls changing into their prom dresses on time. However, when he saw all four girls flawlessly make their entrance in their prom outfits, he very nearly did a jazz square of joy. Content to simply enjoy the rest of the number, he made his way round the back of the wings and up the stairs to where he and Kelsi made their entrance. Kelsi was already there, back in her prom dress again and looking at him curiously. He gave her a relaxed thumbs up at which she frowned.

"I don't get it. How can you be so nervous before a dress run and then completely relaxed when it's happening?" she asked incredulously.

"I was only nervous because we were short on time." Ryan shrugged. "There's nothing to worry about in the actual number."  
Kelsi looked at him as if he had grown an extra head.

"I can't even list all the things I worry about in this number because we'd miss our cue." Kelsi joked, though Ryan could see her hands trembling slightly. "In fact we'd have to spend the night here. Or a weekend maybe…"

"All my friends are in this show." Ryan reminded her. "They're not going to let me down. Ms Darbus is directing and I know how much she cares about this show and her students. And I have this… amazing music to work with."

Kelsi smiled and rolled her eyes at the compliment but Ryan, as ever, saw the tell tale blush bloom in her cheeks.

"Even though your dance partner is a klutz who's afraid of short dresses?" she asked playfully, trying to brush the compliment off. "And argues with you over everything?"

"Kelsi…" Ryan chuckled with a shake of his head. "You're my best friend. I'm not nervous."

Ryan saw his dance partner's eyes widen dramatically, but she followed it up with a bashful smile.

"Ok. If that's the case then we really need to argue less." she said jokingly.

"That…" Ryan said, taking her hand to lead her onstage, "… is never going to happen."


	8. The one about Prom

"Rama lama lama ka dinga da dinga dong."

"Shoo-bop sha wadda wadda yippity boom de boom."

"Chang chang changitty chang sha-bop."

"Dip da dip…"

"ENOUGH!"

Ryan and Kelsi fell silent as Sharpay yelled from across the room but collapsed into giggles the minute she looked away. They were in the midst of their fifth late night rehearsal that week and the pressure had started to get to everyone. So when Ms Darbus had called for everyone to take a break, the students had all reacted differently. Troy had sat down and slouched against the back wall, letting Gabriella snooze across his lap. Zeke, Jason and Chad were throwing Chad's basketball around at the back of the auditorium whilst Martha and Taylor had opted to calmly sit and paint their nails. Sharpay, who had previously been marching around the stage making demands of anyone in her line of vision, had now stalked off backstage with Tiara scurrying behind her.

Ryan and Kelsi had taken to the piano and whether it was a release of tension or the fact that they had indulged in three large cups of coffee that evening… they had lost it. She probably would have benefited more from taking a nap than sitting singing selections from 'Grease' with Ryan, but Kelsi wasn't complaining. Usually when either of them got stressed or tired they would begin bickering at each other. The sing along made for a nice change and a much more positive atmosphere.

Kelsi and Ryan were in the middle of trying to perfect a routine where they switched hats and play the piano simultaneously, when a very weary Ms Darbus approached the piano.

"I think we should call it a night for the cast." she said with a yawn, "However, the auditorium is booked for another 45 minutes and you two seem full of energy…"

"We'll lock up Ms D." Ryan grinned, returning Kelsi's newsboy cap and claiming back his fedora.

"Yeah we've got plenty of work to do." Kelsi said cheerfully. Ms Darbus gave a sigh of relief and clapped her hands together to address the students and let them go home. Despite how exhausted everyone was, when the cast were allowed to leave Ryan had never seen them move faster. Within about two minutes the auditorium was empty and the only person yet to leave was Sharpay, who was last as always.

"C'mon Ryan. Tiara has some dinner thing tonight and I need you to help me pick my shoes for prom from the catalogue." she simpered, strutting over and leaning on the piano hopefully.

"Oh… Well actually, me and Kelsi still have some work to do." Ryan said with an apologetic shrug.

"Oh c'mon." Sharpay scoffed, raising her eyebrows at Kelsi over the piano. "Kelsi's had these songs perfected for weeks. They sound great!"

Kelsi looked suspiciously back at Ryan's sister. Sharpay had ceased yelling at her this year and as a result had been a lot more tolerable. But she was never… nice. If she was, it was an overly sweet way that meant she just wanted extra work from Kelsi. Maybe the girl was just paying her a compliment but Kelsi couldn't quite give her the benefit of the doubt yet.

"Well… yeah they are. Of course." Ryan replied brightly. "But the Julliard representatives are coming so we need them to be as good as they can possibly be."

Sharpay narrowed her eyes at her brother for a few seconds as if concentrating very hard on something.

"Right…" she said carelessly, throwing her bag over her shoulder and exiting into the wings.

Kelsi gave her friend a grateful smile. The pair had come to an agreement not to be competitive over the coveted Julliard Scholarship and instead to help each other, making sure they each were given the best showcase possible. It seemed fair and it made the show better for everyone too. It had been a surprisingly selfless gesture on Ryan's part and made Kelsi, not for the first time, glad that she had decided to stop being his enemy and start being his friend. His best friend in fact.

However, the word 'friend' seemed to be getting looser and looser. Looking at the last few months, it was clear that she had spent the majority of her time with Ryan and not just because of the intensive amount of rehearsals. They texted most nights. Sometimes they would go and get coffee after school or at the weekend. Ryan had even been to dinner at Kelsi's house to rehearse with her piano. Now they were going to prom, and Kelsi honestly couldn't see herself going with anyone else. Now that she had a chance to see his good traits, she was finding out first hand how contagious Ryan's good nature was. More than that, he seemed to understand her more than anyone she knew. Granted, it was terrible bad timing to be having these thoughts. More than likely she and Ryan would be in opposite sides of the country next year. Yet, there was still the show and prom to enjoy, not to mention summer. Kelsi was happy to stall any negative thoughts for now and just enjoy the end of her Senior Year.

"Oh Kelsi, I'll need you tomorrow to practice 'I just wanna be with you'"

Kelsi snapped out of her daydream with a start as Sharpay made a dramatic re-entrance, this time holding her small dog that for some unknown reason was allowed with her to school.

"What?" Kelsi asked, sincerely baffled as to why Sharpay wanted to rehearse Troy and Gabriella's duet.

"Oh… Well I was under the impression that if Ryan took you to prom then we'd be the ones to sing that song.. At least… that was our arrangement." Sharpay said, looking pointedly at Ryan who seemed to have frozen at his seat on the piano bench.

"Oh well we'll discuss tomorrow. I'm sure you have lots to talk about. Toodles." she concluded sweetly, shooting one last scathing look at Kelsi before she marched out of the auditorium.

* * *

The silence that followed Sharpay's exit was worse than any Ryan had endured. He knew he had to say something to defend himself. To plead with her that it wasn't what it sounded like and that his sister was just being spiteful. But although all these things were true, he had a horrible niggling feeling that she simply wouldn't care about what he had to say. Why would she, after everything else he'd done?

"Wow…"

"Kels…"

"No. WOW. I mean, how could I have been so STUPID?" Kelsi exclaimed, pushing herself away from the piano and striding off across the stage before eventually halting in the middle. Her back was to him but he could see she that her chest was heaving, as if she was trying not to cry. Her hands then began opening and closing rapidly, a habit she reserved for when she was agitated. Ryan opened his mouth to say something, but again nothing would come out. All he could feel was pain. It felt strange, but he seeing her like this…it was actually hurting him. Like he was the victim, and not her. She took one deep breath and turned and Ryan quickly looked at his lap. He couldn't look at her. Not now.

"At least have the decency to look at me, _Evans_." she spat viciously.

Ryan raised his head and physically flinched at the sight before him. How this girl, that had continually blossomed and gradually emerged from her shy shell all year, who not five minutes ago had been confident and laughing, was now crumbling before his eyes. She looked smaller, as if she had shrunk as her shoulders pulled in defensively around her. The worst part was her eyes. She wasn't crying, but her normally bright blue orbs were bloodshot and glassy. There was anger there, but worse than that there was betrayal.

"I…" Kelsi gulped, perhaps fighting a lump in her throat, then tried again.

"I hate you." she finished quietly, staring him straight in the eyes. Ryan shook his head slowly, not leaving her gaze.

"You don't mean that." he said softly.

"I KNOW." Kelsi yelled from across the stage, a few tears finally rolling down her cheeks. "That's the WORST part."

She was off again. Running down the stage steps and down the aisle, storming out of the auditorium like she had countless times before. Except this time, Ryan was determined not to let her leave. He leapt up from the piano stool and made after her, easily gaining on her. She was about halfway up the aisle when she tripped over her shoelace and fell to the floor, her glasses flying a few feet ahead of her.

"Kelsi!" Ryan shouted in alarm. "Are you ok?!"

She didn't answer, but he caught up with her just as she was gingerly positioning herself on her knees, looking around blearily for her glasses. Ryan quickly scanned the floor ahead and located them before bringing them to her and setting them down on her lap. That was when he noticed the cut.

"Kelsi! Aaah shit you're bleeding." Ryan stammered in shock as the blood started to trickle down Kelsi's leg and onto the floor. Unsure of what to do, he began looking this way and that, as if a first aid kit was magically going to appear. Kelsi put her glasses back on then gasped.  
"Oh! It's quite bad." she croaked, staring in surprise at the small gash on her knee.

"Just take this!" Ryan said, hastily pulling off his sweater and throwing it over Kelsi's legs. She looked up at him, frowning in bewilderment.

"A tissue would have sufficed." she muttered, looking at the sweater unenthusiastically.

"I panicked." Ryan said sheepishly, watching regretfully as the blood seeped through his now not so white sweater.

"Well… thanks." Kelsi said stiffly, delicately trying to rise to her feet. "But I should go to the nurse.

"No! Wait." Ryan said desperately, grasping her arm to steady her. "Can I please just explain?"

"I really need to go to the nurse." Kelsi said flatly as she started to limp away, but Ryan wasn't ready to give up so easily.

"The nurse isn't here." Ryan said pointedly, following her closely. "And you can't even walk…"

"I can walk fine!" Kelsi hissed one second before her leg gave way beneath her and Ryan had to swoop in and make sure she didn't hit the floor again.

"Let me carry you. I'll give you a ride home." Ryan suggested sensitively. "We can talk on the way."

"Who says I want to talk about it?" Kelsi countered, glaring at him as she leaned on a nearby chair for support. "I really don't see what you can say to make this better."

"I wasn't lying when I said you were my best friend." Ryan said, meeting her eyes sincerely. "Isn't that enough to take a chance on?"

* * *

Ten minutes later, Ryan was carrying Kelsi, bridal style, in his arms, his sweater tied round her leg like a bandage. Kelsi looked a bit uncomfortable about the current situation, but on the plus side she now couldn't escape Ryan's efforts to explain himself.

"All Sharpay did was put the idea of taking you to prom in my head." Ryan explained as he slowly walked them down the hallway. "And I'm glad she did. Do you seriously think I'd actually try and steal your song?"

Kelsi looked steadily back at him. Her gaze had softened somewhat, but she still didn't look overly convinced.

"Can you blame me?" she asked softly. Ryan grimaced but shook his head.

"I guess not. But I swear Kelsi, I asked you to prom because I want to go with you. No other reason."

He thought he saw her smile, but if she did it was just for a nanosecond as her face suddenly looked accusing again.

"You should have told me in the first place. About Sharpay."

"It would have ruined my amazing prom invite." Ryan joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"I'm serious."

They reached the parking lot and Ryan carefully placed Kelsi on the back of the vespa, before adjusting the passenger helmet onto her head.

"Yeah I know." he replied, once they were ready to go. "I'm sorry. I was an idiot. Just… Please don't think I don't want to go to prom with

you. I do. I don't care about…"

"Ok." Kelsi nodded with a small smile. Ryan looked back at her a grinned broadly.

"Really?!"

"Yeah. Now get me home. Your sweater's staring to look a bit more red than white…"

* * *

"Look it's like a wildcat bandage now." Ryan quipped, pointing out the sorry state of his sweater as they pulled up outside Kelsi's house. She giggled in reply and it was music to his ears. It had been a close call, but it looked like he hadn't lost her after all. Ryan supported her to her porch and reached out to push the doorbell before Kelsi's hand stopped him.

"Ryan you've been really helpful but but maybe you shouldn't be here." she said, her face screwing up nervously. "I've got two older brothers and they're… well…"

"Ok point taken." Ryan agreed. As much of a pain as his sister could be (his feelings for her right now were less than loving) if a guy brought her home with a bleeding leg, he would certainly have something to say about it.

"Kelsi." he called, just as she went to go inside. "Are we ok?"

She turned back to him and gave him a smile, though it didn't quite meet her eyes.

"Sure." she said pleasantly. "Good night Ryan."

He knew as she closed the door behind her that they weren't ok. Not really.


	9. The one about the kiss

**Hi everyone! My update for 'So this is new york city' is going to be a wee bit longer because I'm rapidly catching up with myself and I need to write more. However, here's an update to keep you going! **

**A massive thank you again to everyone who is reading and reviewing. Sorry I haven't done my usual shout out to the reviewers recently. I've been too paranoid that I've not updated in ages and published the chapter in a panic. I really appreciate you guys, don't forget!**

**I think this is my favourite chapter of this story so far. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

We're definitely meant to be rehearsing right now."

Ryan opened one eye and squinted through the sunlight at the figure lying next to him. He couldn't quite read her expression due to how bright it was, but she sounded disapproving.

"Five more minutes?" he pleaded, adding a pout for effect.

"Alright." Kelsi sighed contently, letting her head loll back to look at the clear blue sky again. Summer was creeping over Alburqurque and conveniently Ryan and Kelsi's music class had been cancelled due to their teacher being ill. The class had been told firmly that they were expected to study in this time, but the blazing hot sunshine outside had just been too tempting. It had been Ryan's idea to get frappuccinos from the coffee house across the street and steal into the large open park next to the school to sunbathe. Kelsi had been hesitant at first. Sure, she bunked classes quite regularly but that was so she could work on music instead. When he had first suggested ditching music class to sit in the sun she looked at him as if he was trying to get her to commit some sort of crime! Luckily Ryan knew exactly how to convince her…

"C'mon Kels!." he had said, using his puppy dog eyes on her. "You've only got the written exam left and you've been ready for weeks. We have rehearsal in an hour and we've been so stressed out. When you think about it, it would actually be MORE productive for us to relax in this hour because we'll perform better at rehearsal…"

She hadn't needed much more convincing. That was how they had ended up lying side by side on the warm grass, letting the sun warm their faces. They hadn't even spoken much, preferring to lie in a comfortable silence and Ryan was glad of it. He hadn't been lying when he'd emphasised how much they both needed a break. He had noticed the dark rings under Kelsi's eyes that mirrored his own. More than anything, it was a relief to be outside in the sunlight and fresh air after spending most of the last few months cooped up in a music room, dance studio or auditorium. Ryan took another sneaky peek at the girl next to him and saw a content smile gracing her lips. She had definitely needed this. For what must have been the tenth time in the last hour, Ryan glanced down between their bodies and noted the proximity of their hands. For the duration of their little rest, his right hand and her left had lain mere centimetres away from each other. He didn't dare make the move to hold her hand and neither did she, but he decided it was sort of nice this way. He was sure he could actually feel the electricity pouring back in forth between their fingertips. To Ryan's disappointment, Kelsi eventually sighed to herself and tore her hand away to check her watch.

"We have rehearsal in twenty minutes. We should probably go and set up." she said, looking over at him regretfully.

"Yeah you're right." Ryan said begrudgingly, getting to his feet and holding out his hands to pull her up. Kelsi took his hands gratefully and sprung to her feet. They began to make their way back to the school and it took Ryan at least a full five seconds to realise she was still holding onto one of his hands. He automatically felt his eyes widen but otherwise he tried his best to disguise his sudden delight. As he chanced a sideways glance at her and found that she still wore the same carefree smile as before as she stared up at the bright blue sky, seemingly completely oblivious to the fact that their tightly entwined hands swung between them as they walked. It was hard to tell if she even realised what she had done. Lest she suddenly came to her senses and let go, Ryan kept his demeanor determinedly casual. However, his mind was racing. Surely she could hear his heart thumping through his chest! Or the way his hands had started to sweat... Kelsi started to hum absent mindedly to herself, swinging their hands slightly to the music. It was all Ryan could do not to stare at her open mouthed. She had absolutely no idea what she was doing to him!

"Humming your own song? Modest." Ryan joked as he picked out the melody to 'I Just Wanna Be With You'

With the look of someone caught in the act, Kelsi blushed at the comment.

"Sorry. I hear it all the time and…"

"Don't be sorry." Ryan cut in, "I think it's the best song you've written."

He continued to hum the melody and lifted the hand she held to let her spin gracefully beneath his arm.

"It is not." Kelsi protested, though she giggled as Ryan continued to turn her every few strides.

"It's not the most… complex thing you've written." Ryan admitted. "But it's one of the most beautiful. Get ready for the dip!"

Kelsi let out a squeal of laughter as he instantly put one hand beneath her back and dipped her so she was an inch away from the grass. He pulled her back up, both of them still laughing, and found her face an inch away from his. Then the air changed. It was only for a few seconds, but it was enough time for the rest of the world to disappear, leaving only Kelsi with her flushed cheeks and her laughing eyes. It was enough time for him to kiss her.

* * *

His lips had barely grazed against hers when she jolted back. As she looked down and saw his hand holding hers tightly, she let go as if she'd been burned.

_Oh God._

She looked back up to meet Ryan's gaze and found him looking straight back at her. His expression a mixture of confusion and hurt.

_Oh no. Oh no…_

She touched her lips in alarm, still trying to process what had happened.

"Kels…" Ryan said softly, looking at her with concern. He took a step towards her and she instinctively took a step back.

"I have to… We have rehearsal.I'm sorry." Kelsi mumbled. Before she could change her mind, she turned on her heel and bolted across the road and into the school courtyard. It was a stupid idea really seeing as Ryan could run ten times faster than she could but the only thing her mind seemed to be considering was how to escape. She didn't look behind her but she couldn't hear him running after her either. Good. She was feeling a horrifying mixture of guilt and humiliation. Why did she have to react that way? Actually, how did she end up in that situation in the first place? Why had she been holding his hand? Of course she had recognised her feelings gradually changing towards the blonde dancer but she had been so careful to keep both her feet on the ground. It wasn't even because of the whole prom incident. Although that whole situation hadn't exactly been a picnic, she knew Ryan well enough to know that he had been sincere when he told her he hadn't asked her because of his sister. However, one thing that the experience had taught her was the potential he had to hurt her. Ryan had got inside her head a lot more than she had intended and with the two of them going their separate ways next year, she couldn't let him get to her any further. If the thought of losing him now was difficult now, what would it be like in September? So she ran, hoping against hope that when they got to rehearsal there would be too many people around to talk about it. If he tried to bring it up she would ignore him. Simple as that. She resolved to go to the music room and hide for the last five minutes of free period. Then there was no chance of having to confront Ryan until at least after rehearsal.

As she finally rounded the corridor that the music room was on, she slowed to a walk, confident that Ryan hadn't pursued her. A bitter part of her sort of wished she and Ryan had remained enemies. Maybe it would have been less than the pain of falling for him and watching him leave to pursue his dream in New York. The dream that was meant to be hers. Now that she knew Ryan as well as she did, it seemed impossible that they hadn't always been friends. They had so much to offer each other and so much to share. Not that he was perfect. He had a flair for acting over dramatic in any given situation, there was an air of arrogance that Kelsi wasn't sure would ever go away and he knew exactly which buttons to press to make her lose her patience with him. Yet these aspects of Ryan's personality hadn't seemed so bad lately. They had seemed almost… endearing? Kelsi gave her head a little shake at this thought as she entered the music room and slammed the door. Falling for Ryan, her ex-enemy, scholarship rival, best friend and prom date was the WORST idea in the world…

And he was sitting right in front of her.

Kelsi let out a startled shriek then leaned against the door in absolute shock. She even opened and closed her eyes to check she wasn't seeing things. But no. There before her was Ryan, casually sitting on the piano stool, twirling his fedora between his hands.

"How…"

"You're predictable." Ryan said shortly, flipping the hat back on his head and coolly standing up from the bench. "And I know a shortcut."

His face was passive, but something in the way he held himself told Kelsi he meant business. She took a few steps towards him, steeling herself for the inevitable debate that was coming.

"Can we pretend this never happened?" Kelsi stated, trying to sound more certain than she felt.

"That doesn't sound like a question." Ryan said with a frown. "Do I have a choice?"

He was hurt, she could tell. He stood straight and tall but his eyes gave him away. There was an appeal in them that stung her, no matter how hard she tried to disregard them. It made the rejection she had planned stick in the back of her throat.

"You didn't need to run off." Ryan muttered, when she didn't speak. "I think people thought I was trying to kidnap you."

Kelsi let out a small chuckle for just a moment before catching herself. It wasn't fair. Why did he have to make her laugh?

"You're allowed to laugh." Ryan said softly, his smile melancholy as he observed her curiously. She shook her head in reply. He was wrong. It wasn't right to laugh with him. Not now.

"I'm sorry I've been acting… the way I have." Kelsi said, doing her best to keep her eyes focused on Ryan's. "But I can't do this. We're not… It wouldn't work."

Ryan didn't reply for a while. He just kept looking into her eyes. Kelsi didn't really know what to do so she just kept looking straight back, trying to read his expression. He seemed to be doing the same thing, his eyes making minuscule movements around her face, as if he was scanning her into his memory. Eventually he sighed and folded his arms as if he had reached a decision.

"No." he said simply.

"Excuse me?" Kelsi asked, not fully comprehending what was going on.

"You're wrong. It would work. We work. If there was a picture defining something that works it would be me and you at a piano." Ryan rambled. His voice was soft but Kelsi could hear the testiness creeping into his tone. Again she was lost for words, unable to deny this simple fact.

"Kelsi The only people I know better than you are myself and my twin." Ryan cut in, taking advantage of her temporary loss of speech. "You're scared. Though you made that pretty obvious by physically running away so it wasn't exactly rocket science…"

"I didn't know what else to do ok! It freaked me out!" Kelsi protested, feeling her cheeks burn with the embarrassment of her weird reaction to the kiss.

"You were happy for a second!" Ryan retorted, wringing his hands in frustration. "Before you _freaked out_."

He put the words freaked out in inverted commas and Kelsi glared.

"Well what did you expect?" she spat, Finally losing it with him. Once again he had gone ahead and done something inappropriate without thinking about the consequences. He seemed to live in a fantasy where he could just shape the world however he pleased.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ryan asked hotly, glaring back at her.

"It means _Evans_ that you've not exactly always been my best pal." she ranted, trying to convince herself that he was wrong and didn't know her at all. "You've never cared for me! All you've ever done is look out for yourself or your precious sister! You're arrogant and… and you just think you can get whatever you want all the time. I found out the other day that my prom date was told to ask me to prom so his twin sister could sing my composition. Why? Oh to get into Julliard, the school that I've dreamed of going to since I was nine years old. So yes Evans, I did freak out!"

"Yeah?" Ryan shouted, his own cheeks furiously flushed. "Well you're STUBBORN."

"WHAT?!" Kelsi shrieked, her blood boiling at his petulant scowl. He was the stubborn one!

"You are SO determined not to give me a second chance." Ryan continued, striding over to her until he stood an inch away from her, towering over he tiny frame. His hands were shaking with anger but again his eyes gave him away. Kelsi refrained from flinching as she saw the pain reflected in his usually bright blue orbs.

"You can blame what I've done in the past but I know for a fact that's not the reason. You're scared." he stated bluntly, staring down at her intensely. Kelsi stared back at him, blinking furiously to stop her eyes from betraying her.

"I'm…"

"Don't say you're not. I can tell. You're terrified." Ryan cut in, his voice softening as he held her gaze steadily. "I really hurt you."

"Rehearsal." Kelsi mumbled as she felt the tears threatening to fall. "We need to go…"

She pushed past Ryan, making a beeline for the door. He was dangerously close to figuring her all out and she wasn't ready for that.

"And when you go to New York in September it will hurt even more."

That made Kelsi stop dead in her tracks. Not only because he had hit the nail right on the head, but because she couldn't let that slide.

"_You're_ going to New York." she said firmly from the door.

"That's an argument for another time."

Kelsi turned and saw a trace of a smile on Ryan's lips. She had meant to leave but she now found herself rooted to the spot. Some of the pain had vanished from Ryan's eyes and it had been enough to stall her at least for a moment.

"So what's this argument about?" she asked softly.

A small frown creased Ryan's forehead and, despite herself, Kelsi took a few curious steps towards him. What was going on in his head?

"It's about you being stubborn and cowardly and uptight."

Ok… so she hadn't expected that.

He grinned, catching her insulted expression and moved closer, looking at her fondly.

"It's also about how the best part of my day is when I'm spending time with you." he said softly as he gently took her hand. "Even if we're arguing. It's terrifying for me too but… you make me happy Kels."

There was a short pause before Kelsi let out a loud, annoyed huff.

"What?" Ryan asked, stroking her hand with his thumb.

"Why do you always have to be right Evans?"

He didn't answer, but put his hand behind her head and crushed her lips against his. Any ideas of anger or fear melted away the minute she felt his lips against her own and she found that she couldn't resist any longer. Impulsively, she threw her arms around his neck, holding him there as she let the world disappear.

That was when they heard the door swing open.

"Guys, everybody's ready… Oh!"

Kelsi's eyes flew open in time to meet Ryan's startled expression before the disentangled themselves from each other. To her absolute mortification, Troy and Chad stood in the doorway, their mouths hanging open.

"Should I run a warm up or…"

Martha's voice floated from down the hallway until she stopped in the doorway beside the two boys. She looked at Kelsi and Ryan in turn, taking in their guilty flushed faces, and then at the two gobsmacked jocks. A look of understanding graced her features and she gasped.

"Oh my God guys leave them alone!" she exclaimed pulling Troy and Chad out of the room and shooting a wink at Kelsi and Ryan before she closed the door.


End file.
